Donors still 'urgently' needed to secure beauty spot

The Heavens Valley sits on the edge of the town of Stroud, stretching towards Thrupp, in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

A community that has won a bid to purchase a much-loved beauty spot has said more financial donors are still "urgently" needed.

The Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society (HVCBS) needs to raise £850,000 to secure Thrupp Farm, Stroud, Gloucestershire, for public use.

An initial fundraising effort saw £300,000 pledged, with about half of that now collected. A further update is due to be given at a public meeting later.

HVCBS spokesperson, Karen Thomas, said: "Stroud people are making it clear how much they love the valley and are being incredibly generous, but we still need more to be sure of saving the land."

HVCBS confirmed earlier this month it had won a bid to purchase the site after a long fundraising campaign.

The Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society finalised a deal with current owner Moreton Cullimore (third from left) to buy the land

"The community has been amazing... the engagement, the support and the messages we've got have been really, really heart-warming," Ms Thomas said.

All the money raised in the first phase means that the society will have to borrow less from the two local individuals who are providing bridging loans to help the community purchase the land.

“Once the £300,000 milestone is passed, the HVCBS will forge ahead with raising the remaining £550,000 to repay our lenders and so secure the land for the community for ever," added Ms Thomas.

The society aims to use the meadows and woodland on the 102-acre site for education and volunteering

The Heavens Valley sits on the edge of the town of Stroud, stretching towards Thrupp, in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The group hopes to support nature recovery across the 102-acre site, and use the meadows and woods for education and volunteering.

Moreton Cullimore, whose family has owned the land since the 1960s, said that "selling to the Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society, who were not the highest bidder, continues my family’s philanthropic endeavours in Stroud".

More than 250 people have already become shareholders and, as members of the society, they have a say in the future of the valley.

HVCBS wants more local people to come forward and pledge support at a public meeting on 29 September.